sing to me
by i set my sims on fire
Summary: He can't stand to hear another broken word - Shion/Nezumi, for Elzz.


**For Elzz, because I promised her I'd try to write her a fluff fic even though it's hardly my strong point, and because she's my best friend~**

**Warnings: occasional use of bad language, but nothing worse than in the anime**

_sing to me_

'I miss her.'

Nezumi looks up, but Shion's eyes are too far away. He's looking down, head tilted downwards and his crimson eyes are refusing to meet Nezumi's own.

He doesn't have to ask to know who Shion is talking about. It's been a year today, and Safu's death hasn't sunk in at all. Nezumi doesn't think it ever will.

'I know,' he replies, softly, and okay- soft and understanding isn't really Nezumi's thing, but it's memorial day, and despite the rock-hard wall Nezumi puts up, he knows what it's like to lose somebody you love and he knows that before this, Shion never did and although when Shion is being extra irritating Nezumi still feels the burning urge to punch him in the face, there's something about the dulled light in his eyes that makes Nezumi's heart twist, just a little bit.

'She should be here,' Shion continues and Nezumi wonders if Shion even acknowledged what he said. 'She helped to save No. 6 as much as we did. How come we're alive and she isn't?'

And although Nezumi knows that is is childish and pathetic and all the things he isn't, he'd wish Shion would shut up, sometimes. Because Nezumi doesn't really like to remember. He doesn't like to remember because it makes him feel like he owes someone something, and he can't pay Safu back, ever.

He feels like he's in constant debt to a dead girl and it haunts him a little bit.

'Because the world is full of shit,' Nezumi concludes, hopelessly. He isn't very good at this whole comforting thing. But it's Memorial Day and the sun is setting, the sky fading out from a glorious cornflower blue into a flare of orange and a bright light and then orange will fade into a deep purple and then magenta will streak the sunset.

And Shion's just had to sit through a list of names recognizing the people No. 6 killed so recklessly, and Safu was on there and Shion's heart crippled and he wanted to squeeze Nezumi's hand, but Nezumi was too much of a coward to go in there and Shion doesn't blame him but Nezumi is angry with himself, anyway.

'You're right,' Shion sighs and his voice is sad, really sad, so sad that Nezumi can't stand it because Shion sounds so weak; it sounds like he's giving up and it's Shion so he probably isn't but-

But Nezumi can't stand to hear another broken word and so he kisses Shion quickly, fiercely, and the kiss is angry and Shion's mouth tastes of Karan's baking.

They pull apart, and Shion seems to sense Nezumi's clenched fists and erratically beating heart so he shoots him a small smile, reaching out across the dirty open land and placing his hand upon Nezumi's.

Nezumi tenses up, but he doesn't pull away. It goes against his original almost animal-like instinct, it goes against his regular policy of 'trust no one', but Shion's an exceptation. For Nezumi, Shion will always be an exception because his kisses warm Nezumi from the inside out.

They sit in silence as the amber sky darkens, and Shion is gently stroking the skin of Nezumi's hnd in a soothing way, and he feels himself calming down.

'Nezumi?' Shion whispers, and his voice is almost lost in the wind whipping against the ruins and rubble and assorted overgrowth. Almost, but not quite because they are Nezumi and Shion and he loves him, even if it goes against everything he once believed in.

'Yeah?'

'Will you do something for me?

Nezumi winces. 'What is it?' he asks, sharply, because this may be Shion asking, but he's still Nezumi and he's bitter at best.

'Will you sing for me?' he asked, biting his lip anxiously.

Shion's voice is sad and lonely and Nezumi knows he is thinking about his dead best friend and his worried mother, and maybe he owes him this. Maybe.

And because it's Shion, Nezumi sighs and grudgingly says 'okay', and then that beautiful, velvety voice flows out of his mouth and Shion allows himself to fall against Nezumi's body, and an arm drapes around his small figure.

Is that Nezumi's arm? That might be Nezumi's arm, holding Shion tight and rocking him as the music flows from Nezumi's mouth.

The song ends, Nezumi's voice fading until Shion can barely hear it.

Shion kisses Nezumi again, their lips meeting sweetly as the skies turn violet.

And he is at peace.


End file.
